3 BASED AIRCRAFT, 10 NEW ROUTES AS TRAFFIC GROWS TO 2M P.A.

Ryanair, Europe’s No.1 airline, today (Tues, 25 Nov) unveiled a record-breaking Summer 2026 schedule at Bratislava, delivering 3 based a/c (1 new), a $300m invest, 10 new routes and 70% traffic growth to 2m passengers p.a.

Ryanair’s record Bratislava S26 schedule will offer 33 routes, including 10 exciting new routes to Alicante, Athens, Barcelona, Lamezia, Malaga, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Tirana & Warsaw, as well as increased frequencies on 8 other routes. This record €300m investment by Ryanair in Bratislava is a direct result of the proactive efforts by Bratislava Airport, the Slovak Govt and Transport Minister Jozef Raž to cut access costs by lowering airport charges, ATC fees and abolishing enviro taxes.

Ryanair’s record Bratislava S26 schedule will deliver:

• 3 based aircraft – $300m investment in Slovakia
• 10 new routes, Alicante, Athens, Barcelona, Lamezia, Malaga, Naples, Palermo, Pisa, Tirana & Warsaw (33 total)
• 2m passengers p.a. (70% growth)
• Sustain over 1,500 local jobs, including 100 Ryanair highly paid jobs (pilots, c. crew & engs)

Slovakia now joins a growing list of EU countries that are cutting taxes/fees to stimulate traffic growth. Compared with nearby (failing) Vienna, where high costs and harmful Govt taxes continue to damage traffic, tourism, and jobs, these lower costs have made Bratislava more competitive and enabled Ryanair to accelerate year-round traffic, supporting traffic, tourism, and jobs growth, while offering Slovak citizens/visitors more travel options at Europe’s lowest fares.

To celebrate this record S26 growth and investment in Bratislava, Ryanair has launched a 3-day seat sale with fares starting from just €24.99, available at ryanair.com.

Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:

“As Europe’s No. 1 airline, Ryanair is proud to celebrate 20 years of low fares at Bratislava, with our partners Slovakian Transport Minister Jozef Raž and Dušan Novota, CEO of Bratislava Airport.

Ryanair is working closely with our Slovak partners to deliver record low fare traffic growth, which will see Ryanair’s traffic in Bratislava grow to 2M passengers in 2026, with 3 based aircraft ($300m invest), and 10 new routes supporting over 1,500 local jobs, including 100 Ryanair jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers.  

This record growth has been stimulated by Slovakia’s aviation growth policies – including lower ATC charges and zero enviro taxes – which gives Slovak citizens/visitors even more low fare travel choices, while strengthening Bratislava’s position as a key aviation hub in Central Europe. Lower access costs are the only way to deliver rapid growth, and Ryanair is confident that the Slovak Govt and Bratislava Airport will continue their successful low-cost/high growth strategy, delivering even more growth in traffic, tourism, and jobs, while high-cost competitors like Austria lose out due to their high-cost high tax failure.”

Minister of Transport of the Slovak Republic, Mr. Jozef Raž said:

 “It has been 20 years since Ryanair has been connecting Bratislava with the world. Thanks to this airline, hundreds of thousands of tourists have been able to discover Slovakia, and we Slovaks have been able to travel for work, to visit family, or go on trips at a good price. Our airport is today busier than ever before, thanks to Ryanair and other carriers,”

Dusan Novota, CEO of Bratislava Airport, stated:

“For 20 successful years, our long-term and reliable partner, Ryanair, has been safely transporting passengers from Bratislava to a wide range of European destinations. We are thrilled that our collaboration has continued to grow this year and will further expand in 2026 with the enlargement of the Bratislava base and the addition of several new routes. We sincerely thank Ryanair for their continued partnership and look forward to many more years of safe flights from Bratislava.”